


Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose

by IntrovertedRavenclaw



Series: Malec Holiday Sickfics [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Caring Magnus Bane, M/M, Sick Alec Lightwood, Sickfic, Sleepy Alec Lightwood, Snow, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-16 17:48:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16958667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrovertedRavenclaw/pseuds/IntrovertedRavenclaw
Summary: After a long week of patrols in below-freezing weather, Alec comes down with a cold. Magnus helps. A fair amount of cuddling happens.





	Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose

**Author's Note:**

> Here's part 2 of this little holiday sickfic series. Thanks for the great response on the first part! Enjoy! :)

Alec realizes, perhaps belatedly, that taking on evening patrols for the past week was _not_ a good idea. He had thought it would be good for him; a few hours outside at the end of every work day, killing demons here and there should have cleared his head. He has been stressed, more so than usual, these past few weeks— this time of the year is always stressful—and the extra patrols were supposed to help. Supposed to.

Instead, Alec has barely slept in the past two weeks and, instead of sleeping, has been out in below freezing weather, braving sleet and snow for hours on end before coming home and staying up until the wee hours of the morning filling out reports for the Institute. That had all been fine until Alec had felt slightly off his game this morning, moving more slowly and sneezing more than average.

He sneezes as he steps into the loft, sincerely hoping that he’s not sick.

 

“Alexander, is that you?” Magnus calls from the other side of the loft.

 

Alec sniffles, replying, “yeah, I’m home.”

 

Magnus emerges from his workspace holding a jar of something. He comes over and starts to lean in for a kiss, but then pauses. “Why are you _soaking_ wet?”

 

“It’s snowing,” Alec gestures out towards the window. “I was out on patrol.” He ducks his head to sneeze.

 

“Okay, out of those wet clothes,” Magnus orders. “You need a hot shower, I’ll have hot chocolate ready when you’re done.”

 

“You’re wonderful,” Alec sighs. “I’ll be right back.”

 

Once Alec is dry, wearing sweatpants and a warm sweater, and smelling of sandalwood, he meets Magnus in the kitchen, sneezing.

 

“Can shadowhunters catch colds?” Magnus asks, his tone more teasing than anything else.

 

“It happens,” Alec says. He coughs into the sleeve of his worn sweater and groans. “I hate winter.”

 

“Patrols out in the snow may not have been a good idea,” Magnus agrees, smiling sympathetically. “My poor, headcold-ridden shadowhunter.” He reaches his hand up to Alec’s forehead.

 

“Do I feel hot?” Alec asks.

 

“Maybe a little warm,” Magnus frowns. “Let’s get you to bed.”

 

Alec lets himself be buried under the big comforter, and curls up next to Magnus when he climbs in bed beside him. With a flourish, Magnus conjures a TV in the bedroom and starts playing a cheesy Christmas movie. Alec falls asleep before he can get a grasp of the plot.

 

He wakes up feeling considerably more miserable. His nose is running, his head aches, and when he swallows, he winces in pain. Magnus’ side of the bed is empty and cold. Alec wonders how late he slept as he sits up and wraps himself up in a blanket, dragging himself out of the bedroom.

 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Magnus greets. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Like death,” Alec croaks. He clears his throat. “I overslept.”

 

“You slept in two extra hours, which is fine because you’re taking a sick day,” Magnus says. “You’re not leaving this loft, at least until you’re not contagious, and you’re going to relax and catch up on sleep until then. Sound good?”

 

“Magnus…” Alec starts to protest, but decides against it. His head is pounding, he can barely breathe normally, and if he’s being honest with himself the only thing he wants right now is to curl up on the couch with Magnus. “…Okay.”

 

“No argument?” Magnus looks surprised. “You must really be feeling badly.”

 

Alec nods, glumly dropping down onto the couch. He feels his nose start to itch, and he groans. “Do we have tissues anywhere?”

 

Magnus snaps his fingers, and a box of tissues appears on Alec’s lap. “We do now.”

 

Alec sneezes. “Ugh. Thanks.” He blows his nose, which doesn’t do much to clear the congestion in his head.

 

“It’s been a while since you’ve been sick like this, Alexander.” Magnus muses. “With a mundane ailment, I mean. When’s the last time you had a cold like this?”

 

“I don’t know. It’s probably been a couple of years.” Alec sighs. “I forgot how awful colds are.” He coughs into his sleeve, his throat aching.

 

“Are you hungry at all? Thirsty?” Magnus asks.

 

Alec shrugs. “I’m not really hungry. I should probably drink something though.”

 

Magnus leaves and returns a few minutes later with a mug of tea and a glass of water. He holds both out to Alec, and Alec reaches for the mug, hoping for some relief from his sore throat.Magnus sets the water down on the coffee table.

 

“Thanks,” Alec sniffles. He sips the tea, giving Magnus a tired smile.

 

“Do you need anything else?” Magnus asks.

 

“Just… Come sit with me?” Alec croaks, reaching out and taking Magnus’ hand.

 

Magnus smiles and takes a seat beside Alec on the couch. Alec buries his head against his shoulder, sighing faintly, and Magnus wraps an arm around him and draws his body closer. While cuddled up against Magnus, Alec stares out the window and watches the snow fall outside. It seems to be snowing more heavily than it was last night.

 

“You’ve got a fever,” Magnus says, brushing some of Alec’s hair off of his forehead.

 

“I’m… suffering.” Alec coughs. “It’s snowing out.”

 

“Has been for the past few hours,” Magnus replies. “I had to cancel some of my client visits because the roads are closed.”

 

“Bullshit,” Alec chuckles. “You don’t even drive.”

 

“Okay, maybe I also wanted to stay here and nurse you back to health.”

 

“I don’t need-“ Alec starts, but his words quickly give way to a fit of coughing. Magnus rubs his back, humming sympathetically.

 

“Try to get some rest,” Magnus kisses the top of Alec’s head, and Alec snuggles closer to him before drifting off.

 

When he wakes up, he feels even more miserable. His head pounds mercilessly, his muscles complain when he moves, and his coughing makes his throat raw. He sits up, reaching for the box of tissues as Magnus enters the room.

 

“Oh, good, you’re up.” Magnus says. “I have some medicine that Catarina says might make you feel better, as well as some mundane pills that Clary recommended.”

 

“Okay,” Alec blows his nose, flicking the tissue towards the steadily growing pile surrounding him.“Wait, did you steal that mundane medicine, because-“

 

“Oh, hush.” Magnus says. “I was not going to brave the snow and the cold. You did, and look at you.”

 

“It’s a virus.” Alec mutters, but Magnus ignores him.

 

“You should probably eat something first,” Magnus comes over to the couch and places a hand on Alec’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “What do you feel like?”

 

“Not hungry,” Alec replies. Magnus summons all of the usual sick person food anyway; a bowl of chicken soup, toast, bland crackers, and more water and tea. Alec manages to eat some toast, which satisfies Magnus.

 

“I know you don’t have much of an appetite,” Magnus explains. “But you really shouldn’t take this potion on an empty stomach. Trust me.” He hands over a small vial filled with a dark blue, syrupy liquid. “Swallow all of this first, then I’ll give you some Advil.”

 

“That’s disgusting,” Alec chokes out after downing the potion.

 

“Oh, hush.” Magnus dismisses him. He hands him two pills and a glass of water. “Take these for your fever. It might also help with pain.”

 

Sure enough, Alec does feel a bit more alive once the medicine has taken effect. The throbbing in his head has dulled enough that he isn’t craving death, at least, and he’s sneezing and coughing less frequently. He gets up off the couch and joins Magnus in his workspace area while he works on a new potion.

 

“Hey,” Magnus grins. “Feeling well enough to get up, I take it. How are you doing?”

 

“The medicine is working, I think.” Alec says, sniffling. “I still feel gross, but slightly less like I’m dying, which is good.”

 

“That’s certainly an improvement,” Magnus says cheerfully. Alec wraps his arms around Magnus’ waist and rests his head on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Mhmm.” Alec mumbles. “Just cold.”

 

Magnus flourishes and all of his potion setup disappears. “I can come back to that later. We can go back to the couch or the bed if you’d like.”

 

“What about outside?” Alec suggests, watching the snow come down through the window.

 

Frowning, Magnus brings his hand to Alec’s forehead. “Are you delirious? You realize you being out in the snow is what got you into this mess? And you _just_ complained about being cold?”

 

“I’m tired of being stuck inside,” Alec complains. “And I like the snow, for the most part.”

 

“That’s not what you said last night, Mr. I-hate-winter.”

 

“Hey, I was just freezing and grouchy last night.” He protests. “The fresh air will make me feel better.”

 

Magnus gives in. “Alright. I have an idea.”

 

On the balcony, Magnus magics the couch dry, then summons a dozen warm blankets. He lays down on the couch and lets Alec lay next to him, bundled up in blankets while they watch the snow.

 

Alec shivers but smiles weakly. “This is nice.” He coughs harshly into his fist, which is covered by a blanket.

 

“Are you warm enough?” Magnus asks. Alec nods, enjoying the quiet that the heavy blanket of snow brings to the outside.

 

After about twenty minutes, Alec is freezing, despite the blankets, so he mumbles to Magnus, “let’s go inside.”

 

He’s still shivering when he’s back on the living room couch, covered in a blanket and coughing painfully.His throat is raw and his nose still considerably stuffed, despite the medicine, which he suspects is starting to wear off. Alec figures that more sleep will do him good, as he doesn’t have the energy to occupy himself with much else, so he drifts off.

 

“Wow,” someone says, their voice pulling Alec out of a deep sleep. “I haven’t seen him this relaxed since… I don’t know. It’s been a while.”

 

Alec opens his eyes blearily and slurs, “Are you talking about me?”

 

Isabelle and Jace are standing next to the couch, and they both laugh.

 

“Just came to check up on you,” Isabelle says. “Sorry to wake you up. How are you feeling?”

 

Alec swallows experimentally. His throat is still sore. “Better than earlier, I think.”

 

Magnus pokes his head in from the other room. “Your four hours are up. Take some medicine.”

 

Alec groans. Magnus hands him a glass of water, another dose of the potion he took earlier, and two more pills, which he takes without complaint. He shivers. “Is there a window open or something? Why is it so cold in here?”

 

Magnus places his hand against Alec’s forehead. “That’s just your fever.”

 

Alec scowls. “I’m still cold.” He coughs. “By the angel. I hate this.”

 

“I know,” Magnus says, rubbing Alec’s shoulders. “You look like you’re feeling better, though.”

 

“I am,” Alec yawns.

 

“Wanna go to bed?” Magnus asks.

 

“We brought Chinese, if you’re hungry.” Jace interjects.

 

For the first time all day, Alec realizes that he actually is hungry, and Magnus notices as much.

 

“You really are feeling better, aren’t you?” Magnus observes as they eat.

 

For a little while, Alec stays up to catch up with his siblings, but as soon as they leave, he climbs into bed. Magnus sets the box of tissues on his nightstand before getting into bed beside him.

 

Alec hopes Magnus isn’t too annoyed with the constant coughing through the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Should be studying for finals but I wrote this instead. This is my life and these are my choices. 
> 
> Leave me a comment if you liked it and ideas for future chapters of this little series if you want! thanks. :)


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